


it's too quiet in this room

by glasshalfempty



Series: i need noise [2]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Angst, M/M, Prince Yuri, rebellion AU, wizard otabek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-26
Updated: 2016-12-26
Packaged: 2018-09-12 06:00:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9058702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glasshalfempty/pseuds/glasshalfempty
Summary: “Yura,” Otabek gasps, and Yuri huffs in response. “Yura, we have to stop.”“We can’t. They’re probably not far behind,” Yuri replies in between panted breaths, and he hears Otabek’s footsteps stutter.“Yura—Yura, I’m dying.”Yuri snarls. “Beka, don’t—how can you even joke like that when—“But then Otabek huffs, and his knees give out from under him, and oh. Suddenly, Yuri’s not worried about the rebels catching up with them anymore.





	

**Author's Note:**

> me? writing something Real that isn't crack?? a rarity
> 
> inspired by this prompt: http://writers-are-writers.tumblr.com/post/151997085241/prompt-625
> 
> merry christmas to all of my jesuses and happy holidays to all of my non-jesuses. hope this fucks you up real good.

Yuri’s not sure how long they’ve been running.

He’s breathing in short spurts, heart pounding in his throat. He’s positive that, by this point, his body must be made of pure adrenaline. Otabek huffs beside him, struggling to keep up the pace, but Yuri doesn’t slow. He _can’t_ slow, or they’ll catch up.

The city has long since faded into the distance, but Yuri can still hear the explosions, can still feel the earth shake as the palace walls crumble to dust around him. Can still see the expression on his grandpa’s face as the roof collapses in between them, urging him to “go, run, get out of here!”

Yuri hadn’t hesitated as he ran from the castle, but now, thinking back, he wished he had, as the grim reality that he would never see his grandpa again was sinking in.

One hundred and seventy three years. The kingdom had made it one hundred and seventy three years without interruption, without interference, without a single appearance from the rebel force his great grandfather’s army had squashed out of existence. Or had thought they’d squashed. The rebel army had, unbeknownst to the royal guard, been laying low for almost two centuries, slowly rebuilding itself into a bigger, more destructive beast, and today, Yuri’s family had paid the ultimate price for their deluded ignorance.

Yuri swallows back tears and tries to erase Victor’s expression of pained surprise as the bullets rained down on him from his mind. He will not think about his brother, his family, not now, not when they’re all—they’re all— _no_. Now is not the time to dwell on what he's lost. Besides, at least Otabek is here. At least he has _someone_ who’s still alive.

“Yura,” Otabek gasps, and Yuri huffs in response. “Yura, we have to stop.”

“We can’t. They’re probably not far behind,” Yuri replies in between panted breaths, and he hears Otabek’s footsteps stutter.

“Yura—Yura, I’m _dying_.”

Yuri snarls. “Beka, _don’t_ —how can you even _joke_ like that when—“

But then Otabek huffs, and his knees give out from under him, and _oh_. Suddenly, Yuri’s not worried about the rebels catching up with them anymore.

“Otabek!”

Yuri practically throws himself on top of Otabek and rolls him onto his back, hands searching frantically. “What—what do you—oh. Oh, no. Oh, my God, _no_.”

The wound in Otabek’s side gapes at him, red and raw and oozing. Yuri recognizes it immediately: a poisoned arrow. The stupid bastard’s been hit by a poisoned arrow. Yuri’s breath is coming out in gasps, the tears he’s been resisting for so long finally spilling over. God, he’s so _stupid_. They’d been on the run since before dawn, and the sun’s high in the sky now. How had he not noticed before now?

“Oh, God,” he cries, and Otabek’s hand finds his, lacing their fingers together and holding on tightly. “Beka, I don’t—I don’t—what do I do?”

“Go,” Otabek grumbles. “Keep running.”

“No!” Yuri shouts, startling a flock of birds from a nearby tree, and dammit, who cares if the rebels hear him, who cares if the whole entire godforsaken empire hears him, everyone he loves is gone and Otabek is all he has left and—and—“I can’t lose you!”

“ _Go_ ,” Otabek insists, nudging his knee with his free hand. “Run while you still can. I’ll hold them off, distract them somehow.”

“I’m not leaving you!” Yuri cries, brokenly, and they both quiet down at the sound of a horn not far off in the distance. They rebels have caught up.

“Yuri.” Otabek shoves his knee again, more insistent this time. “ _Get out of here_.”

Yuri inhales through his nose, swallows his tears, and says, “No.”

His shifts into a protective crouch, looming over Otabek, and Otabek huffs a broken sigh. His hand releases its grip on Yuri’s knee and instead tangles itself in the front of his bloodstained robes. Yuri makes a confused, desperate noise in the back of his throat as Otabek pulls him down so they’re nose to nose, but when their lips meet, something inside of Yuri shatters. His hands grip Otabek’s face like his life depends on it, and they stay together, meshed as one, until the hoofbeats break through the trees and they’re surrounded by the enemy. Yuri releases Otabek and hovers over him, daring any of the rebels to come any closer. Otabek’s grip on his robes tightens as the rebel leader himself, Jean-Jacques Leroy, emerges from behind the front line, leering down at the two of them.

“Well, well! Would you all just look at what we have here? _The_ Prince Yuri himself, and—look at that! The son of the King’s wizard, Otabek Altin!” Leroy exclaims. Some of the rebels blanch in surprise; apparently, they hadn’t known exactly who it was they were chasing. “I’ll admit, when I decided to go after some escapees, I’d been expecting a palace maid, or a cook, or perhaps just a villager who could give me _some_ semblance of information on our runaway prince. I’d had no idea I was actually chasing the prince himself!”

“Listen,” Yuri speaks up, voice cracking with exhaustion, and Leroy raises an eyebrow in amusement. “You can do what you want with me. Capture me, take me hostage, torture me. Kill me. I don’t care. But leave him out of this.”

“Yuri,” Otabek groans, and Yuri nudges his shoulder to get him to shut up. Leroy smiles, showing off pointed teeth, and steps down off of his horse. He saunters forward, walking stick tapping the ground with every other step.

“I’ll admit, that is an interesting proposition, but I must say, that's an absolutely ridiculous request,” Leroy sighs. “Besides, it appears your friend is already pretty worse for wear, so why would you offer yourself to save him when he’s already on the brink of death? That’s just—that’s just plain stupid, in my opinion.”

“Ask me if I fucking care!” Yuri snarls, shoulder blades drawn taut, and Otabek twitches beneath him at his tone. Leroy smiles a shit-eating grin and places the end of his walking stick underneath Yuri’s chin, lifting his head so they’re eye to eye.

“Such a rude child,” he croons, teeth glinting, and Yuri refuses to look away, refuses to back down, refuses to break first. They stare each other down, green eyes locked with blue, the tension in the air so palpable Yuri feels he could reach out and touch it. And then the moment is gone, and Leroy is five paces away, walking stick vanished from beneath Yuri’s chin.

“So that’s how it’s going to be,” he sighs. Yuri grits his teeth and hunkers down, preparing himself to fight tooth and nail to keep Otabek out of harm’s way. Leroy stares at him and contemplates, face like a lake of glass as he gives the order.

“Kill him.”

The gun is pressed to Yuri’s temple before he knows what’s happening. Otabek yells something from beneath him, but Yuri doesn’t hear what he says.

Doesn’t hear anything.

“Beka,” he says, “I love—“

The gun fires.

Otabek screams.

The last thing Yuri sees is Victor smiling at him from his place on the throne, eyes shining with innocent pride as the crown is shot off of his head.


End file.
